Cens, Chézine, Erdre and Loire for a great discovery of Nantes

The hike starts from the car parks of the law and economics faculties. Please note that this option is best during weekends or school holidays (the car parks are full during term time). As the hike is circular, you can start from any point along the route. There are numerous car parks along the route. For those coming to Nantes by train, the walk can also start from the station. You will then need to walk about 400 metres to reach the route at the château.

(S/E) From the front of the Nantes faculty, head towards the roundabout at the bottom of Chemin de la Censive du Tertre. Cross it and go down the path along the Cens river. Turn right and take the path/cycle path. The track crosses a small bridge and passes behind the swimming pool/ice rink (you will see the water slide on your right). The track climbs back up towards the tram line that passes in front of the ice rink entrance.

(1) Cross the tracks and the road at the traffic lights and take the path that continues along the left side of the Nantes campsite. Continue along the Cens river, which will be on your left. After about a hundred metres, the path crosses a footbridge and takes you to the other side. Continue along this path. Pass two footbridges on your right. As you continue, you will see a children's playground on your left. After the playground, turn right and cross the footbridge. Immediately after the footbridge, take the path on the left and follow the yellow^PR® sign^.

(2) At a three-way junction, leave the^PR® on your right, which goes up towards the Pont du Cens neighbourhood, and continue along the Cens. The path leads to Boulevard Robert Schuman. You will see the Auberge du Cens (easily identifiable by its white and red colours) in front of you. Cross at the traffic lights to the right of the inn towards Avenue Félix Vincent. Continue until you reach a small roundabout. Stay on the right-hand pavement.

(3) Just after the roundabout, take the path on the right marked with a sign for "Vallée du Cens". After crossing the footbridge over the river, take the path on the left. Stay on the path and leave the Passerelle des Écureuils footbridge on your left. Cross at the next footbridge, the Passerelle de la Perche. The path becomes tarmac and climbs slightly. After a right-hand bend, leave the tarmac section and descend on your right to rejoin the path. You will walk alongside a private lake on your right. After the lake, leave the footbridge on your left and the "Ma ville à pied" trail on your right to continue on the main path. Continue to the next intersection.

(4) The path leads to a cycle path. Cross it and continue straight ahead towards "Orvault Bourg". Go under the bridge and continue on the main path, ignoring the path on the left. You will pass a retention basin on your right and then go under the Nantes ring road.

(5) On the other side of the ring road, turn right and immediately take the path that climbs slightly to the left (if you want a wider path, especially if you are cycling, you can stay on the main path as you will come back to it a few minutes later). After winding along the Cens, the path you have taken joins the path/track you left a few minutes earlier. Continue along it, turning left.

(6) The path splits with the^GR®3trail to the right and the^GRP® Tour du Pays Nantais trail straight ahead. Continue on the^{GRP® trail} (red and yellow markings), which crosses a footbridge under a road bridge and runs alongside a fitness trail and large wooden deckchairs where you can enjoy the sun flooding the valley. Ignore a footbridge on your left and continue on the^GRP®. Shortly afterwards, the trail enters the woods (towards "Sautron"). Continue left on the^GRP® towards "Sautron (Pedestrians)".

(7) The^GRP® climbs up to the right. Stay on it and climb up to a path that branches off to your left after a barrier (marked by a yellow and red cross on a post and a red cross on the barrier). The path descends via steps to the bed of the Cens. This area may be slippery after a period of rain and will require a certain amount of technical skill for those wishing to tackle this circular route on a mountain bike. Continue along the Cens to the next footbridge on your left. Cross it towards "Sautron". Continue along the path that runs alongside the Cens.

(8) Take the path on your left that goes up a few steps. At the end of these steps, you will come to a barrier. Turn immediately left once you have crossed it. The path goes up towards an industrial estate after you have passed a few houses on your right. Continue to the Moulin Brulé roundabout.

(9) At the roundabout, you will find a Lidl store on your right. Cross the first road on your right and turn right towards a cross (Renault garage in the background). Take the path that starts at the cross and runs along the left side of the Renault garage. Continue along the path. You will pass several businesses on your right and a housing estate on your left. About 100 m after passing under the high-voltage cables, turn left, following the^PR® markings (at an Idena building on your right). The path enters a housing estate. Continue straight ahead and cross the roundabout with an electricity pylon. Continue to the next roundabout, leaving the^PR® on your right.

(10) At the roundabout, take the first right and pass under the ring road. Then continue downhill on the cycle path. At the bottom of the descent, just before the bridge, cross to the left and take the carriageway. Pass a large house (probably an old farmhouse) on your right and continue along the road, which becomes a track. This leads to the Route de la Sionniere. Turn left, then right at the next crossroads. Keep to the left-hand side of the road. Please note that there is virtually no hard shoulder, but there is little traffic and you will only be on the road for about 100 metres.

(11) Take the first left towards "La Gournerie" and turn onto the road leading to the park (which closes at 6.30 pm from November to February and at 9 pm from March to October). Outside these times, you can continue along the road and take the path about 200 metres further down on the left, just before crossing over the Chézine). The access road to the park leads to a pond. Follow it (pond on your left) and continue along the tree-lined path in front of you. At the end of the path, turn right and walk down towards the Château de la Gournerie. Pass under its porch to continue along the path that leads down to the bottom of the park.

(12) At the park exit, cross over and take the path slightly to your right. This is marked by two signs (one yellow and one white and red "Ville de Saint-Herblain"). The path goes through a short tunnel. At the exit, take the main path on your left. The Chézine river is slightly below. After a few steps, continue slightly to the left (leaving a small stone bridge on your right). Continue following the signs for "Circular Walk of Chatterie 3.7 km".

(13) The path climbs back up towards Boulevard Marcel Paul. The^PR® is signposted in front of you and descends into a small tunnel. Please note that this is also where the Chézine stream crosses. In case of rain, it is quite possible that you will not be able to pass through. In this case, cross the road just above and climb over the railing. If the Chézine is not high, you can enter the tunnel, but your feet may get a little wet if you do not have waterproof shoes.

After passing through the tunnel, stay on the path that continues along the Chézine. A few hundred metres further on, after passing under the ring road, turn right and go under a road bridge. Stay on the main path, which climbs slightly to the left towards Boulevard du Val de Chézine. Just before you reach the cycle path, turn right and go down towards the path (do not cross the road).

(14) Ignore the footbridge on your right at the playground and continue along the path. You will pass between the Chézine on your right and a small lake on your left. At the next intersection, leave the bridge on your right and continue along the main path.

(15) Cross the bridge on your right and immediately turn left. The path leads you to a small lake with a large children's playground on the opposite bank. The path runs along the eastern side of the lake and climbs back up to the road.

(16) At the crossroads, cross Boulevard du Massacre in front of you and take the path towards "Procé". Stay on the path and pass the Boxing Club Nantais, tennis courts and football pitches (with an athletics track around them) on your right. Just after the stadium, the path splits in two. Take the path on the left that descends closest to the Chézine (if you take the path on the right, the two paths rejoin a little further on). The path climbs back up and crosses a second path. Continue straight ahead on the PR^®.

(17) The path leads to the Pont Jules César bridge and the entrance to Procé Park. Go under the bridge and immediately turn left to follow the^PR®. The path then turns right and descends towards a large villa. Walk along the right-hand side of the villa and continue downhill, still following the^PR®, towards a roundabout. Cross at the pedestrian crossing on your right and take the path opposite, which continues along the Chézine (still marked with yellow^PR® signs). A little further on, you will have to cross a road. Continue along the stream.

(18) The path climbs up to the left and leaves the undergrowth to enter the town. From this point, you will be walking through the urban part of the hike for about 4 km. Turn right onto Avenue Emile Boissier. At the end of this avenue, turn right again onto Rue Marie-Anne du Boccage. At the next crossroads, turn left onto Rue de Gigant and then immediately right onto Rue Lamoricière, following the yellow PR® markings^.

(19) The^PR® leaves Rue Lamoricière on the left (just before the Arsilon company and a Carrefour Contact) and enters a stone staircase. Follow it. After climbing the steps and passing building no. 15, cross the small square on your right. You will see new steps in front of you leading uphill. Do not take these, but instead take the steps on your right leading downhill, then another set of steps immediately on your right. At the end of the small square, turn left onto Rue Arsène Leloup. Walk down the street to the Notre-Dame de Bon Port church. Then continue along Rue de Mazagran, which descends towards the Quai de la Fosse, which runs alongside the Loire.

(20) Cross the road and tram tracks to reach the banks of the Loire. From here, you will see many of Nantes' landmarks. Opposite you is the huge Carrousel des Mondes Marins and, slightly to its left, the large hangar of the Machines de l'Île. Opposite you, on your right, is the Yellow Crane, a symbol dear to the people of Nantes, and, moored on your right, the warship Le Maillé Brézé.

Continue along the quay on your left. At the Anne de Bretagne Bridge, cross over and continue along the quay. You will then come to the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery. On the ground, you will find the names of the slave ships that transported thousands of slaves to the colonies. To help you follow the route, look for the green markings on the ground for the Voyage à Nantes. This is a painted line that describes a tourist and cultural itinerary in the centre of Nantes. It will serve as a landmark on several occasions. Please note, however, that along the quays it is often painted on the lower bar of the guardrail. Cross the memorial following the Green Line. After a while, it turns left and takes you across the tram tracks. Follow it to the pavement on the other side. Continue along the pavement and leave the Green Line, which goes up to your left via a staircase. You will pass the media library and the Printing Museum on your left.

(21) After crossing Rue Maréchal De Lattre de Tassigny, at the next crossroads, cross Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau and immediately turn right. Cross Allée de la Bourse and enter Square Jean-Baptiste Daviais, which you will need to cross. On the other side of the square, enter the oldest street in Nantes, Rue Kervégan. Continue following the green markings on the ground. The green line will take you across Cours Clisson with Cours des 50 Otages on your left and the Tour de Bretagne in the distance.

Continue following the green line, which then turns left onto Rue Bon Secours. Turn right and stay on the pavement. A few metres further on, you will see Place du Bouffay on your left, which marks the beginning of Nantes' historic district of the same name. This is an excellent place to eat or have a drink and is the heart of Nantes' nightlife. Continue, passing the "Feydball", a quirky football pitch on the Esplanade Feydeau, on your right. Cross Rue de Strasbourg.

(22) After crossing Rue de Strasbourg (the street where Nantes City Hall is located a little further up), head towards the water mirror opposite the Château des Ducs de Bretagne. You will find many children playing in the water jets, but it also offers you the opportunity to take a beautiful photo with the reflection of the castle. After passing the water mirror, go around the château on the right and climb the few steps towards Cours Saint-Pierre. Cross the street. On your left, you will see the back of the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul de Nantes, and in front of you, the Louis XVI column on Place Foch.

(23) Leave the cathedral on your left (a slight detour of about a hundred metres will allow you to see its façade) and go around Place Foch on the right. Then take Cours Saint-André, which continues on from Cours Saint-Pierre. Cross the street and go down the steps. Cross Quai Ceineray and Square du Marquis de Saffré.

(24) At the exit of the square, at the roundabout, go straight ahead towards the quays. Follow the Green Line of the Voyage à Nantes, which continues along the quays. Stay on these quays, on the left bank of the Erdre, for about 2 km. The quays are paved in their first section. On your left, you will see the Île de Versailles, a true haven of peace in Nantes with its gardens. It is the ideal place for a break in the shade, in a beautiful green setting (however, it can be very busy at weekends). Take the footbridge over the Erdre if you wish to go there, otherwise continue along the quays, which will leave the paving stones for a tarmac track. Stay on this track and follow the red and white markings of^{the GR®3}. After a few bends, the tarmac track becomes a path. Continue along it, following the^GR® markings^.

(25) About 100 m after passing a pontoon opposite a rowing school, leave the quays and enter the car park opposite Carrefour Contact. Take the stairs on the left of the car park to climb up to the Pont de la Tortière bridge. Cross the Erdre river and, at the roundabout, turn right towards the Bicloo self-service bike station to take the few steps down to the right bank. At the bottom of the steps, turn left. You will pass several footbridges and wooden pontoons as you walk along the Erdre. After about 1 km, you will cross a footbridge with a slightly steeper slope. After crossing it and passing a cycle path on your left, continue for a few metres until you reach a Navibus stop.

(26) At the Navibus stop (public transport boat connecting several key points in the city), immediately go up the tarmac path on the left. Continue along the law faculty on your right. When you reach the roundabout, turn right and return to your vehicle (S/E).

This is a hike with no technical difficulty that does not require any special equipment. A pair of trainers may suffice, but as it is over 30 km long, you should make sure you wear shoes that you know will be comfortable for many hours. I recommend this hike on sunny days as it allows you to take full advantage of the shade offered by the route, but also because certain parts, particularly in the Cens valley, can be very muddy after heavy rain. For information, I completed this hike in 5 hours and 18 minutes, without taking any breaks other than those taken to take photos or record the description. The hike can also be done by bicycle. While the vast majority of the route is accessible to all cyclists, the end of the Cens Valley (after Orvault) requires a certain level of technical skill on a mountain bike, and I recommend that those going there for a ride avoid this section or walk instead.

There are plenty of benches along the route, as well as numerous picnic facilities. At Orvault, the facilities in the Cens Valley are perfect for a snack break and the infrastructure makes it easy to rest.
Although 95% of the hike is in a green setting, the city is never far away and it is easy to get there for supplies or shelter.

There are public toilets between points (1) and (2) and just after point (21).

If you start to feel tired, the last 10 kilometres pass several Bicloo self-service bike stations. You can then easily finish your bike ride and there are stations near the faculties (your starting point) or at the Pont de la Tortière (about 1.5 km from the finish) where you can drop off your bikes.

There are many places to eat, and some restaurants are even located directly on the route (Château de la Gournerie and Parc de Procé in particular).

Although the hike is not particularly suitable for children due to its length, the route passes through numerous playgrounds in the Cens valley, as well as in Chézine and near the Château de Nantes.

https://www.relive.cc/view/v36AP4n9BZO

You will walk along four streams in Nantes. The Cens flows into the Erdre at your starting point (it is therefore a sub-tributary of the Loire) and has its source in the commune of Vigneux-de-Bretagne. The Chézine is a direct tributary of the Loire and has its source in the commune of Saint-Etienne-de-Montluc. The Erdre, considered the most beautiful river in France by François^I, is also a tributary of the Loire and has its source in Erdre-en-Anjou. Finally, the Loire, the longest river in France, flows into the ocean at Saint-Nazaire, about 60 km from Nantes.

The Parc de Procé and its 18th-century manor house. It was originally a private park that was acquired by the city of Nantes at the beginning of the 20th century. It is crossed by the Pont Jules César bridge, which dates from 1879 and is remarkable for its series of arches.

The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Nantes, built between 1434 and 1891, took more than 400 years to complete. In 2020, arson destroyed the 17th-century organ.

The Château des Ducs de Bretagne was built in the 14th and 15th centuries. After Anne of Brittany married the King of France, the former ducal castle became a royal castle. It is open to visitors all year round and access to its inner courtyard is free. For several years, a slide, part of the Voyage à Nantes exhibition, was attached to its western rampart.

The Church of Notre-Dame de Bon-Port, easily recognisable by its large dome, was built in 1852. Its dome, inspired by that of Les Invalides, rises to a height of 60 metres.

The Domaine de la Gournerie with its château.

Rue Kervégan is lined with 18th-century buildings. It is located on an old sandbank, which means that some of the façades have lost their verticality.